Swimming appliance



O. I. PRICE swIuING APPLINCE May 20, 1930.

3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Oct. 51, 1928 Osre [Price aktet u,

May 20, 1930. o. PR ICE 'SWIMMING APPLINCE Filed Oct. 31, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 mama Mai zo, 1930 .UNITED sur-Es emm I. rama or shume;

e nuanca Application mea emm :1, im. semi no. '313,183.

My invention relates broadly to swimming appliances and more particularly to the construction of a swimmn belt or grdle.

provide a construction of swimming appl-` ance which may be worn by a swmmer beneath a bathing suit and in such manner that the swimming appliance is practcally 1nvisible.

Another object of'my invention s to rovde a buoyant belt 'WlllCh is normally o extremely light weight but which contains material having a high degree of buoyancy when submerged in water and capable of support ing a relatively large weight while ;sub-

` merged.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a simplified construction of swimming belt which may he readly adapted to different sizes and Secured around the wast of the wearer for buoying the wearer when submerged in water. O

A further object of my mventon s teprovide a Construction of swimming a phance built up of a plurality of ndepen ent sections which may be folded upon each other in a stack' for collapsing the swmmng appliance into a small package for carrying urposes or for formin a p llow, cushon, ack rest or seat from t e swmnng applance.` The Construction of the swmmng appliance of my invention will be more clearly understood from the specification hereinafter following in which: I Figura l illustrates the swimming appliance in position upon a wea rer; Fg. 2 s a front elevation of the swimming apphance of my invention flattened out to llustrate the connecting means at each end thereof; Fig. 3

is a top View of the swimming appliance shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectonal 0 sizes;

view through the swimmin appliance taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 2 and s owing the buoying material in the interier of the swimming appliance; Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a modified form of swimming apphance showing the means which I may provide' for adapting the swimming appliance to different Figs. 6, 7 and 8 show fragmentary views of the swimming applance and the manner in which 'the appl'ance mais: ed to different sizes of wearers; igs. 9 and 10 show a modified form of the swimmn' g One of the objects o my inventions to' appliance of my invention where a plurality of uoying sections are provided for the swimming appliance of my invention; Fig. 11 shows the partsof the swimming apphance arranged in position preparatory to the assembly of the swimming appliance; Fig. 12 shows the swimming appliance in process of assembly taken on line 12-12 of Fig. 11, with the cloth cover being folded about the buoying material of the swimming appliance; Figl 13 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken through the swimming apph'ance on line 13 of Fi' 11 after the appliance has been assembled; ig. 14 shows the swimming appliance with the parts thereof in folded relationship; and Fig. 15 shows a swimming appliance constructed in accordance with my invention from a plurality of separate sections which are folded upon each other for forming 'a small package which may, be used as a pillow, seat cushion or back rest.

Heretofore various constructions of swimming appliances have been proposed, but these several devices have been cumbersome and to a large measure tend to impede the progress of the swimmer. By my invention I provide a compactarrangement of parts for a' swimming appliance and arrangethe parts within such a small space that the swimming appliance 'may be worn beneath the bathing suit of a swimmer without pre senting any unusual appearance and to all practical purposes the swimming appliance is substantially invisible.

The appliance is constructed by assembling sheets of flat sponge rubber between layers of rubberized apron cloth, the sponge rubber sheets being divided into such sizes as will permit the swimming appliance to be folded into a small package to serve as an automobile seat, a canoe back rest, a cushion, pillow or other support. When adjusting the swimming appliance to the body of a wearer various sizes of the belt may be obtained by,

be adapt- I pliance in several standard sizes to satisfy requirements of a largenumber of different sizes, as intermediate sizes may be secured by virtue of the adjustments which are provided.

Referrin to the drawings in more detail reference c aracter 1 designates the. bathing suit of a swimmer. The swimming applance is shown by reference character 2 rubber represented at 14 in Fig. 3.

The several sizes to which the swimming appliance may be adjusted may be re ulated by the entry of straps 3, 4 and 5 t rough buckles 6, 7 and 8. I may also provide a sheet of material represented at 15 in Fig.

, 5 extendng from one end of the swimming appliance and carrying rows of eyelet' fasteners 16, 17 and 18 cooperating with rows of snap fasteners carried'by the other end of the swimming appliance to-allow the swim-` ming appliance to be adjusted to the body and the required diameter regulated by securing the selected row of eyelets n a selected row of snap fasteners. As illustrated in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 the strap arran ement enables the swimming appliance to e adjusted to different sizes by bringing the parts of the swimming ap liance into an overlapping relationshi desgnated in Fig. 6 and abutting relations i represented in Fig. 7, or a s aced en to end relationship shown in n Fig, 9 I have shown the sponge rubber inserts within the swimming appliance divided into sections 20 with the rubberized apron cloth vulcanized as represented at 29. By virtue of this Construction failure of any particular section of the swimming appliance will not impair the buoyancy of the appliance to any lar e degree as the buoyancy efl'ect will be o tained from the sections whichremain intact.

'In Fig. 11 I have shown one of the methods of preparing the swimming appliance which consists in spreading the rubberized sheet of apron clot 2 in a position to receive flat sheets of sponge rub er re resented at 21 and 22. The s onge rubber s eets are placed adjacent one e ge of the sheet 2 in such inanner that sheet 2 may be folded over the sponge rubber sheet with the edge portion 2' la ped over the edge of the sponge rubber s eets 'and the ortion 2 la pd over the opposite edge of t e sponge ru r sheet and sutably -tendin secured to the edge 2'. I The ends of the, sheet 2 may then be seamed along the edges 11 and 12. The sheets ofsponge rubber are preparedas represented at 23 in such manner that the entire swimming appliance ma be folded into the compact relationship ilustrated in Fig. 14.

' In' Fi 15 I have shown the buoyant insert of t e swimming appliance divided into a large number of, sections designated at 22. 24- and 25, the individual sections being spaced at 23, 26 and 27. The compact arrangement into whichthe arts of the swimminga pliance maybe fol ed permits the device to e used for a variety of pur oses other than as a swimming appliance. he sponge rubber which I emplo is normally extremely light in wei ht an contains a large volume of air whch tends to buoy the weight of the swimmer when the swimming appliance becomes submerged. The rubberized apron cloth prevents moisture from entering the, sponge rubber of the swimming appliance and thereby mai'ntains the buoyancy of the swimming appliance .while submer ed.

The swimming appliance as described herein has been found to be extremel practical in its construction, and while I have described preferred embodiments of my invention, I desire that it be understood that modifications may be made and that no limitations are intended other' than those imposed by the sc'ope of the appended claims. V

What Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows: y

1. A swimming appliance comprising an envelope ofrubberized cloth, a sponge rubber core within said envelope in contact with the interior surface of said rubberized cloth the ed e portions of said cloth being vulcanize to seal said sponge rubbe; core within said envelope and connecting means exfrom a position adjacent each end of sai rubberized cloth envelope for engagement one with the other for adjusting said swimming appliance to various diameters fofitting the waist of the swimmer.

2. A swimming appliance coprisig :l sheetof rubberized 'cloth w'apped over plurality of sections of sponge rubber. said rubberized clothbe'ing connected by vulcanized seams around the edges of said sponge rubber for providing a water tight' envelope for said sponge rubber, and means extendng adjacent the sems at the opposite ends of said water tiglt envelope for engaement with each other for regulating the iameter of the swimming appliance to conform with the waist of a swimmer.

3. A swimming appliance comprising a sheet of rubberized cloth, a plurality of sheets of spon e rubber positioned upon said sheet in space relationship, said cloth being folded over said sheets of sponge rubber and connected by vulcanized seems at the peripheral 'edgesthereof and vulcanized intermediete the ends of said sheets of sponge ribber, connecting means extending from the seems at opposite ends of said swimming appliance and adjustably Secured together for regulating the diameter .of said swim'- ming a pliance with respect to fitting the waist o a swimmer.

4. 'A swimming appliance comprising a. sheet of rubberized cloth, a plurality Vof sheets of sponge rubber laid upon said rubberized cloth in spaced relatonship, said rubberized cloth being connected by vulcanized seems extendin around the perip oral edge thereof and ein `foldable alon lines' deined by limits 'o said sheets o sponge rubber, for compactly foming said swimming appliance into a folded stack of uniform dimensions, and means extending from 'the vulcanized seams at each end of said swimming appliance for forming 'said swimming applance into an adjustable belt which may be regulated to conform with the size of the swimmer. i

5. A swimming appliance comprising asheet of rubberized cloth, a piurality of other. end o blocks of sponge mbber located on said cloth said cloth being folded over said sheets o sponge rubber and vulcanized between said sheets of spongerubber and at the peripheries thereof, for providing a lurality of independent sponge rubbesectons extending lcngitudinaiiy and laterally of said swim-` ming applianee', and a luraiity of adjustable connectors extendin rom opposite ends of said swimming applance, for adjusting said swimming appliance to sizes conforming with the waist of a wearer.

6. In a swimming appliance, an envelope of rubberized cloth, a sponge rubber core for said rubberized cloth, a fiexible sheet of material extending from a position adjacent' one end of said envelope to'a. osition beyond the adj acent end of seid en've ope, and a plurality of rows of snap fasteners carried by said flexible sheet of material and arranged to cooperatively engage e plurality of sna-p fasteners arranged in a plurality of correfpositioned rows adjacent the i spondingly said swimmin appliance for adjusting the swimming app iance to various sizes to conform with the `waist of a wearer. In testimony whereof I aflix 'my signature.

- OSBORNE I. .PRICE. 

